


Project with Phil

by Cuddlelester



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22982239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuddlelester/pseuds/Cuddlelester
Summary: Dan is an art student in his second year of college when he meets Phil, a film student in the same school. After getting paired for a project about queer expression they begin to grow close. Even though falling in love wasn't in the outline for the project, it had definitely happened.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Project with Phil

**Author's Note:**

  * For [midnightskydan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightskydan/gifts).



> Dedicated to @midnightskydan ! This is long overdue and i'm really sorry ;____; I hope you enjoy - college au's are my favourite! <3

I sat with my head melted against my hand, my curly brown hair twisted around my fingers. Today was one of those beautiful summer days, yet I was stuck inside a hot and sticky classroom. A prolonged sigh escaped my peachy lips as my brown eyes wandered around the room. My eyes began to flutter shut, ignoring whatever my professor was saying. Sleep hadn't exactly been my first priority since classes had began, especially since I held myself to a high standard. 

My vision blurred as darkness grew over me, a yawn taking over my body as I my arm slid down onto the desk. I rested my head against my arms as I slipped into a small cat nap.

I wasn't sure just how much time had passed before I came back to. I stretched my arms as my professor slid a piece of paper onto my desk. My eyes immediately moved down to the paper on my desk; I hoped to god that I didn't miss something that I couldn't catch up with online later.

ART & FILM STUDY

TOPIC: QUEER EXPRESSION

PARTNER: PHIL LESTER

I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked around the room, who the hell was Phil Lester?? This is what I got for sleeping in class.

Still confused I decided to read the rest of the outline for the project. It turns out that our class was working with the film class from down the hall. Film had always fascinated me; so much so that it was my backup plan if my art didn't take off. Thankfully I was improving enough to not worry about that plan yet.

I was too busy worrying about meeting up with my partner to pay attention to the rest of the class, which didn't come as much a surprise to me. I felt my phone go off in my pocket as my professor dismissed our class. Without hesitation I pushed my chair back and pulled myself to my feet.

"I'm looking forward to yours Daniel," My professor told me as I neared the exit.

A small smile grew on my face as I thanked her. Ever since high school it had been a habit of me to become the teachers pet, solely because I kept up with my work more than the other students. College wasn't much different.

Once in the hallway I pulled my phone out of my pocket, the screen lit up with a number I didn't have saved.

_Hey Dan! This is Phil, your film counterpart :]_

I guess it made sense for the other class to get the same rubric that I had gotten. I twisted my lips as I thought of a reply while I walked down the hall. Did I want to meet up with him today or some other time? So many things to consider while making plans during one of my down days.

Texting was never something I was good at, especially with people I didn't know. I backspaced a few times as I tried to get the wording right. I wanted to be friendly but still professional at the same time. If only there were a website that would text people back for you in the right tone. 

_Hello! Is there a time you would like to meet up to discuss our project?_

I played a dangerous game as I walked carelessly down the halls, staring down at my phone. Phil texted back almost instantly, which made this whole texting thing a little bit easier.

_I just finished my class so id be free now if that interests you!_

I thought about it as I walked, I might as well meet up with him now so I could go have a nap later. Just as I was about to send the perfect reply, I collided bodies with another man about my height. 

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry," I gasped as the two of us looked down at the papers that flooded the hallway.

The ginger boy laughed as we both knelt down almost immediately to collect the papers. I have never once crashed into someone while walking in my life, and I could not have been more embarrassed about it.

"That's alright! I wasn't looking where I was going either," He buzzed, a smile spread across his freckled face.

I sighed with relief as I handed the papers over to the blue eyed boy in front of me, "Here you go. I hope I didn't hold you up too much."

He pulled himself to his feet and outstretched a hand for me to grab. I grabbed it promptly, allowing him to help me to my feet. My eyes shifted down to our hands as his slipped from mine. It felt weird to think but he had the softest skin that I had ever felt.

"No of course not! I was just going to meet a friend," He told me with a friendly smile.

I nodded along with him, "Well i'm sorry again."

We began to part ways as I texted Phil back, hoping now more than ever this day could just be done with. I pushed my phone back into my pocket, deciding that I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. 

"Hey wait!" The boy from before shouted as he jogged to catch up with me. "You wouldn't happen to be Dan would you?"

My eyebrows raised as I looked back to the ginger haired boy, "Yes?"

"I'm Phil!" He giggled softly, causing butterflies to form in my stomach.

My cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, I could not believe that the way we had met was me knocking his shit all over the place. I sighed with defeat as I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. There was something about the way he laughed that just made my little gay heart flutter. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Phil. We talked about our plans for the project so much that we almost had a rough idea of what we would be filming. It was the first time in a while that I actually had a great time in someone elses company.

"Anything else we should add?" I asked Phil as we sat on the floor of his dorm room sharing a pizza.

He shook his head slowly, his tired eyes flickering up to meet mine. Somehow I felt like his mind wasn't one hundred percent on the project anymore. I couldn't blame him though, I never wanted to think about school in my free time. Especially with someone as nice as he was. But it was important to me that we got a good grade, I wanted to keep up my good record.

"Then its settled! I guess i'll draw us a rough draft later tonight," I replied with a smile. 

The room fell silent as Phil pried his eyes away from mine. I was beginning to wonder what he was thinking about so much that it kept him from focusing on our project. Maybe he had a girlfriend or something to occupy his mind, but it wasn't my place to ask. We had just met after all.

"Thanks Dan," Phil hummed as he looked back to me. "Wanna meet at the same time tomorrow then?"

I thought about it as I looked down to the almost empty pizza box in front of us, I had a great time tonight. Maybe this project wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"Yeah sure! I should get going now anyways," I chirped and pulled myself to my feet. "It's been a pleasure."

Phil grinned proudly as he stood up to see me out, "See you tomorrow!"  
  
***  
  
Ever since our first meeting Phil and I had met up every single day. It was crazy to think that our project was going to be complete soon and then our frequent meetings would be over. Of course we didn't need the project to meet up, but it was a good excuse to see him after a shitty day of working on other projects. 

I fiddled with my fingers as I lingered in the hallway outside of Phil's dorm room. It felt weird to be here first thing in the morning on a Saturday, but we planned to spend the entire day on this project. Or at least I did; Phil always found the best ways to distract me.

The door in front of me swung open and I was greeted with a sleepy Phil still in his pajamas. I tried my best not to giggle as I eyed his bunny slippers. Something about seeing him half asleep made my heart flutter, my feelings towards him only growing more confusing as time went by.

"I did not sleep well last night," Phil told me as he lead me inside

"I see that," I laughed as we took a seat on the floor of his room.

A yawn took hold of him as I placed my bag down beside me. I watched contently as he leaned back against the side of his bed. His ginger hair pushed down to one side of his head, not yet ready for the day. I couldn't help but smile as the sunlight that leaked through his blinds lit up the side of his pale face. It was funny just how bad I yearned for his touch in that moment.

I had never felt this way towards someone before in my entire life, and it couldn't be more unnerving and awkward. I tried my best to think of our project as Phil leaned his head on my shoulder. Blush washed over my face as he drifted off to sleep. At this point it felt wrong to wake him from his sleep, so I continued to work on our project in silence while he had his little nap. I sketched out some more ideas for us to use, even though we had pretty much solidified an idea already. 

About an hour had passed before Phil awoke from his slumber, his hair tousled and his eyelids low with sleep. I smiled and turned to face him, "Good morning, sleepy head."

Phil looked up at me slowly, "Dan?"

I laughed as he suddenly came to the realization that I had been here the entire time. Quickly he covered his face with embarrassment, unable to believe that he had dozed off by my side.

"Sorry," He groaned shyly. "I really didn't sleep at all last night."

"No worries," I chuckled as I gathered up my things.

Phil looked up at me, his pleading eyes told a story he could never tell. Maybe it was the way he looked basked in the morning sunlight, but I wished I could crawl into bed next to him. Or maybe that was my sleep deprived brain speaking. Either way I knew that it wasn't something you should think about one of your friends.

"Sorry if I wasted your time," he sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

I looked back over at him, baffled, "I have plenty of time to waste, trust me."

He pursed his lips as he pulled himself up to sit on the bed, "Well i'm not worth wasting time over. Don't you have a girlfriend or something to get back to?"

I furrowed my eyebrows with confusion. Where had this sudden negativity come from? As far as I knew we were getting on great, but that's what lack of sleep does to you, I had been there a few times myself.

"No. But I guess I should get going," I frowned as I pulled myself up to my feet. "I'll see you around."

Phil nodded and watched as I swung my bag over my shoulder. I swear I heard him cursing to himself as I closed the door behind me, but it could have just been my imagination.  
  
***  
  
I sat alone in my room, staring up at the ceiling. Phil and I had avoided talking to each other for a few days now, which scared me. Our project was due next week and we had yet to film and edit it all together. I still wondered what exactly I did wrong for him to snap at me. Was he just tired or was it something more? Maybe I had overstepped my boundaries somehow. 

A sigh escaped my chapped lips as I rolled over on my bed, grabbing my phone from the bedside table. 

**3:25 am**

It was crazy just how late you could end up staying awake while over thinking. I just couldn't get the thought of Phil out of my head. I guess I owed it to him to apologize or something, we couldn't just let our project fall through the floor because of some silly misunderstanding.

_Just wanted to apologize if I did anything wrong. :[ Text me when you get this._

Almost instantly a reply popped up from Phil, as it turns out he was also awake overthinking about the same problem. 

_come over_

I felt my heart begin to beat hard in my chest. Walking across campus was one thing, but doing it alone in the dark was another. But if it meant we could fix this mess and still get a good grade on our project than it was all worth it. I texted Phil back to let him know that I was coming over, like he had asked me to. 

As I walked over I thought hard about my life before I had met Phil. Life was dull and boring, only consisting of homework and take out food. Over the past few weeks Phil had actually managed to make me want to get up each morning and get dressed. For once in my miserable life I had a purpose. It wasn't just about the stupid project. No. It was more than this. 

That boy accepted me as I was, without a second glance. I knew that from that moment on he was going to be important to me, but I wasn't exactly sure how. Getting to laugh and enjoy someone elses company meant so much to me. Growing up without friends or family who supported me molded me into the shy awkward dork I was today. Having someone share that sort of mentality was insanely comforting.

"Hey," Phil breathed as he met me in the doorway. "Come in."

I followed Phil into his room, the door closing behind us slowly. The both of us weren't really sure where to begin, our emotions hovering over our heads like a cloud. It was clear to me that I should be the first to say something, as Phil seemed to be struggling.

"I'm sorry about before," I hummed softly. "Even if I didn't do anything wrong."

Phil looked up at me, tears swelling up in his ocean eyes. I wasn't really sure where this was going to go, but I knew that I felt for him more than ever. Without saying a word, he rushed to my side and engulfed me in a tight hug. It didn't take long for me to melt into his touch, even if it meant the butterflies in my stomach going crazy.

I pulled away after a few minutes of silence, I had to know what was going through his mind right now. I'm sure he wondered the same about me at this point. 

"Phil," I mumbled softly as his hands found their way to his face.

He took a deep breath, allowing it to deflate from his nose slowly. He pushed his hands up his face and through his messy hair, causing it to stay in place, "I like you, Dan."

For a brief moment it felt like the world had stood still. The only person who knew that I was gay was my professor, only because she had caught a glimpse of a drawing I did while searching for a piece of work to hand into her. To think that there was another gay boy in front of me who actually felt something for me seemed crazy. What did I do for him to feel such a thing towards me? 

"Y-You like me?" I asked, my voice soft. "Why?"

Phil exhaled and moved his eyes up to meet mine, "I don't know how to describe it but you just make me feel different. I feel like I can be myself around you, Dan. You make me feel at home."

A smile tugged at my lips as blush filled his freckled cheeks, "I feel the same way, Phil."

He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head, "You do?"

I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump forming inside my throat. I had girlfriends in the past, but none of them compared to the way Phil made me feel that night. My brown eyes blinked helplessly as they got lost inside of the galaxy in his eyes.

"I think i'm in love with you," Phil admitted, his voice almost a whisper now.

My mind was a beautiful mess. How could someone as beautiful as Phil ever be in love with someone as awkward as me? I smiled widely at his statement, a small giggle escaping my lips. It was funny just how giddy he made me feel, just by saying a few words.

I felt the space between us begin to shrink as we leaned into each other, causing my butterflies and hurricanes inside of my chest.

"Phil," I breathed as our faces grew close. "I'm in love with you too."

A smile grew against Phil's peachy lips just before he pressed them to mine, causing my eyes to flutter shut.

I had never kissed a boy before in my entire life up until now. And wow, could I tell you I was missing out. My fingers made their way to Phil's hair, pushing it up into a quiff as our lips moved in harmony against the dim moonlit room.

"Would you like to stay the night?" Phil exhaled as he broke our kiss slowly. 

I smiled up at him fondly, "Okay on one condition."

Phil's eyes widened as he looked back at me with confusion.

I tried not to giggle as I played with his hair, "You help me finish that project tomorrow."


End file.
